When you are making that important decision about which dance school is the best for your child, a common misconception is that all teachers are the same. In the dancing world, there are professional teachers that tutor for a living and there are part time teachers who do it as a second job or a way to pay bills until they get another job.

Things to consider about part time or inexperienced teachers:

These teachers are inexperienced: They will lack the necessary skills and experience that a professional teacher will have.

They are often just doing it part time for the money rather than dedicating themselves to their dance and pupils. If they are also studying something else (say their real interest is in accounting or law) then their minds are hardly going to be on the students who are looking for guidance.

Many very young teachers lack maturity and have problems dealing with the complexities of multiple children in a group. It takes a lot of dedication to teach dance to children and it is difficult to find this dedication in someone who is only teaching part time.

Professional teachers on the other hand have several advantages:

They are knowledgeable: these teachers are very knowledgeable. Not only have they spent a number of years learning to dance but they have also learnt all about the art of dancing. This means that they can answer all sorts of questions about dance and the arts. Young children always have many questions when they learn new skills and when teachers have the answers the pupils will learn faster and enjoy more.

It is important that young students get to know their teachers and not have a different face every couple of weeks. With professional teachers they are settled in their position and are usually not planning to move on quickly. This allows a young student to develop a bond and trust with their teacher. It also allows them to feel secure and not have to help new teachers get to know what level they are at with their schooling.

They are specially trained to teach young children: Dance is a very personal thing and needs an intuitive teacher to bring out the best in a child. Professional teachers are trained to have this quality and draw out a child's creativity.

They are dedicated to their pupils: professional teachers have gone through a fairly rigorous training and do not do these dance courses unless they are really dedicated. Because they love dancing they are keen to pass on this love to others. That is why they are very committed to their pupils, especially their young students. This enables their pupils to learn faster and better.

It takes a special person to understand and train your children in dance. Dancing comes naturally to young children but the discipline of the dance routines do not. You need someone who knows how to encourage dance discipline with a balance of fun. Professional teachers are trained and have the natural ability to do this. They also need to know how to persuade young children to practice the dance skills. This is another reason to hire professional teachers, even if it means paying a little more.